Recommendations for newbie

hi, im new to this forum and tea in general, looking for some advice from more seasoned drinkers

Edit:

figured i would edit this in case any other newbs are lurking around

if your looking to get into teas i would say try multiple types (ie:black,white,green,oolong,) rather than variations of the same type to see what you like, then expand from there; so far i prefer black strongly with white being tolerable ( hate green )

from what ive seen steeping/amounts are fairly subjective. as far as steeping goes i would suggest cutting it shorter if you are not sure/happy with results. for amount i would say go with more if your not sure/happy with results. (increase/decrease depending on taste preference)

think that's all i have for now. especially appreciated input of Teaisme thnx

Last edited by AbcTea on Mar 28th, '12, 13:20, edited 1 time in total.

... well we did get you out of the supermarket aisle which does narrow it down by weeding out the junk teas. And have hopefully opened up the world of loose leaf for you. For most of us, tea enjoyment is about variety ... so I would not expect us to limit your choices ... quite the contrary

The samplers are a great way for "newbs" to discover their own pathway based upon taste and aroma, etc.

appreciate the suggestion, seems like a good way to sample .. the teas in that round are a little more expensive. im really looking for some everyday teas that i can consume 3-5 times daily without breaking the bank. ill probably take the earlier advice and order some samples from one of those online stores.

i don't usually recommend Lipton because i don't think they are the most conscientiousness producers, but their Lipton Darjeeling Tea (Green Label) is a nice product (better than the other teas you listed).certainly not the best quality but it's a nice tea to drink all day. make sure the box shows an unexpired best used before date. this tea is surprisingly fresh.roasted barley "tea" is also a nice choice for when you don't want to drink tea.

These are good everyday drinking green teas that won't break the bank. Vendors abound, but I recommend you chose one from japan, or at least one that is based in japan but has locations/shipping in the US. Check out teavendor guide in this forum. Prices range roughly 200g for $15-20.

tried three of the teas, so far the irish breakfast tasted like a better version of the black teas ive had.. not a huge improvement but noticeably more taste/less bitter. tried the houjicha and it was so horrible tasted like a weird type of woody, not sure how that tea is so popular? drinking the gunpowder now and thank god its not as horrible as the houjicha, so far im not a fan of the green teas.

Maybe you just don't like tea. If you are not ready to give up yet, I'd suggest trying an oolong or two. Also, read up on brewing methods. Maybe you need to adjust your steeping times or leaf amounts to suit your taste.

just don't draw too many concrete conclusions about a type of tea or tea in general with your limited experiences. Maybe too early to judge?

Sometimes something as simple as changing your water source or finding a kettle that is actually suitable can make a huge difference in how a tea will turn out. To see if its your water you can try to cold brew your gunpowder for 6ish hrs in the fridge with some dasani or aquafina bottled water. Taste that and compare it to how it tasted when you brewed hot. If it tastes pretty similar then it might not be your water. If it tastes almost like a totally different tea, or has very pronounced notes you did not detect before then it could very well be a water issue. I think it is pretty important to figure this out first before you go on wasting money on tea that has no chance of turning out good because water is sub par to begin with.

Also vendors quality varies a lot. Adagio is not the best example out there imo, sorry. Like I said before, better to get from an overseas vendor that has been proven reliable and doesn't mark up too much. Many US vendor sites with tons of different teas don't do a very good job sourcing since they often source from a middleman's middleman. What you end up with is decent/mediocre tea at an affordable but inflated price (again imo).

But alas, people go for what is easy, well marketed, and familiar. A shame with so much good stuff that is out there for the same price.